Harvesting heads or “headers” are elongate, laterally extending devices. They are suspended from a structure called a feederhouse that extends from the front of agricultural combines. They sever the crop plants and carry the severed crop plants to an open front end of the feederhouse. The feederhouse carries the cut crop material rearward and into the agricultural combine itself. The agricultural combine then threshes the cut crop material, separating the grain from the other plant matter, and saves the grain in a grain reservoir or grain tank on the agricultural combine.
Harvesting heads travel at relatively high speeds and very close to the ground. As a result they are prone to collide with the ground. The larger and wider they are, the greater the risk of damage to the harvesting head when collisions occur.
What is needed, therefore, is a system for controlling or limiting loads due to these ground collisions. It is an object of this invention to provide such a system.